Letters to the editor: Sept. 25

This letter is in support of the passage of General Obligation Bond C, which is on the ballot for the 2016 election on Nov. 8.

GO Bond C has $27.5 million for the New Mexico State University system. Of this, $22.5 million is for renovation and construction of Williams Hall, which houses the Department of Art. I urge the citizens of Doña Ana County to take the opportunity of voting for and passage of the sum of money allocated.

As a visitor to the Art Department, I have observed continuing deterioration of the building and its usability for classroom, gallery and administrative areas. The building was built as a gym in 1938. At that time, the art courses were housed in various quarters throughout the university. The Art Department’s first home was a barracks building, which burned. After the first, the Art Department was moved to the old gym in 1974.

The particular reason for this letter is so that the public will understand the need for passage of General Obligation Bond C, which will promote funding for renovation and replacement of Williams Hall. Such renovation and replacement will honor those present and past art instructors and will provide for effective teaching and foster an environment of creativity for our students.

J. Paul Taylor,

Mesilla

If only we had listened to Madison years ago

A recent Sound Off caller who is a Gary Johnson supporter thanked Johnson for his public gaffe of not knowing what is Aleppo, with the caller stating that he didn’t know what Aleppo was either. And these people vote!

Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution provides for the election of the president by electors, not the general population. Jimmy Madison and the boys realized that the general public wasn’t informed, and the electors, being prominent individuals in the various states, were informed citizens and could better select a person to be president.

Probably if this was the election process today we wouldn’t have Hillary or Trump as our next president.

Robert K. Murray,

Las Cruces

Let Gary Johnson into presidential debate

The deeply bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates has “crossed the aisle” to prevent third party candidates from having their voices heard on the national stage alongside the two most reviled presidential candidates in history. Their arbitrary and self-selected rule of 15 percent or higher in an average of five national polls is ridiculous, especially when young adults are under-polled and underrepresented. Additionally, “third party candidates” aren’t even included as an option in many of these polls. How can they even get to that number when the entire system is stacked against alternative viewpoints?

Gary Johnson is on the ballot in all 50 states. He is polling in first place with active military and just two points behind Clinton with adults under age 34. His perspective matters and he deserves to be on the debate stage. Imagine a debate where policy could actually be discussed instead of swapping criticisms of the other candidate.

Most Americans are voting against the candidate they hate most. Imagine if we all had the chance to vote for a candidate who could lead our country out of this bipartisan mess and into a positive future where we are united by our common humanity, rather than divided by somewhat arbitrary political platforms.

Let’s actually be the land of the free and begin by freely listening to a voice that absolutely should be heard on the debate stage.